Cosmetics have been around for over 3000 years. The Egyptians were the first to use pigments, crushed berries and leaves, and the upper class would purchase makeup from incoming travelers. This not only cost a great deal of money for that time period, but took up to a month or longer to make. At first, men would use makeup by applying galena or kohl (black eye-liner) to create an “almond shaped eye” which resembles the Falcon Eye of the God Horus. Women then began to experiment the use of cosmetics. The application of such substances was with a small stick or wooden needle with an enlarged end creating a cotton bud shape. Along with black eye-liner, the men of ancient Egypt applied green eye shadow/paints, in addition to lip balm or salve colored with natural earth pigments, such as red ochre.
It was said that the natives believed makeup could ward off evil spirits and protect against eye diseases and ocular infections caused by the Nile River. Kohl promoted the production of nitric oxide in the skin which strengthened their immune systems. In addition, the soot found in kohl helped to reduce the damaging effects of sun glare on the eyes. After the ancient Egyptians discovered the use of cosmetics, the word began to spread and new ideas began to form.
Airbrush, in general, was first established by a man named Abner Peeler in 1879 using mostly spare parts from a jewelers workshop. Four years later, a company by the name of Liberty Walkup began marketing his invention. In 1893, Thayer and Chandler art materials presented the first known modern airbrush at the world Columbian Exposition in Chicago. At the time, the airbrush invention had the sleek look of a pen and its functionality was extremely similar to recent airbrush machines in today's society. 1958 began the production of the film Ben-Hur which was completed in 1959 by MGM Studios. Cosmetics were applied using airbrush during the set of this world-renowned film. Makeup artists were told to apply faux tans for the thousands of actors who played minor roles and were said to be acting the part of Romans. The idea of using airbrush with this substance, as a makeshift foundation, worked surprisingly well. It was found that an airbrush can spray cosmetics more precisely, lighter, and efficiently. Airbrush soon became well known for applying cosmetics for Hollywood studios in the mid 1970s. Then it made its way into hair and beauty trade shows and the Bal Masque competitions. Nowadays, airbrush is commonly used for creating temporary tattoos, conventional makeup, fantasy makeup, body art, fingernails, hair, and airbrush tanning.
Sonaer has been making ultrasonic atomizers nozzles since 1997. An ultrasonic atomizer nozzle works by the same principle of wave motion as does all other ultrasonic devices such as liquid processors, welders, surgical tools, dental instruments and the like. It is no secret that an atomizer nozzle is any one of the above-mentioned devices, however, it is made with a hole through the center or a plurality of holes for spraying a liquid. One of the nicest aspects of using an atomizer nozzle is the fact that finer particles are easily produced, and spray is more uniform and efficient when expelled from the tip end without the use of air pressure. Knowing the advantages of an atomizer nozzle, I have invented a cosmetic applicator that contains within an ultrasonic atomizer nozzle with the exception that it does not include the center hole. In addition to the atomizer nozzle, I have invented an applicator hand piece that includes a method of either pouring cosmetics into a well molded into the device or threading a small vial of cosmetic solution to the top of the applicator. Contained along the side of the applicator is a method of turning on the ultrasonic power, thus directing cosmetic solution to the vibrating tip for spraying. This is all accomplished without a hole through the center or along the side of the probe for the liquid and is delivered to the moving tip without the use of air pressure or a pump. The invention I am presenting is truly a unique and novel method for spraying cosmetics.